Quick, strong support for appeal of Singapore anti-gay law

“We are seeing the light at the end of tunnel. … We are no longer walking alone, or in tens or hundreds, we are now walking in tens of thousands.” — Bryan Choong

Kenneth Chee and Gary Lim. (Click image to see video about them and their legal challenge of Singapore’s anti-gay law)

In this article, Singapore counseling center manager Bryan Choong welcomes people’s rapid, positive response to the fund-raising campaign supporting the appeal of this month’s High Court rejection of a challenge to Singapore’s anti-homosexuality law by gay couple Gary Lim and Kenneth Chee. As this article is published, $71,842 had been raised out of an initial goal of $50,000 and a total projected cost of $150,000 for the appeal.

Singapore’s LGBT community now dares to dream

Many people would say that Gary and Kenneth are heroes for stepping forward to file the challenge. I believe many who are close to the couple, know them as just people who have their own fears. Like how the couple shared their fears and thoughts in this video.

Even as some of us stepped forward to put our names on the fundraising page, we are also combating our own little monsters in our heads. We know that the initial target of $50,000 is not an impossible sum to raise. It is not just about the money, it also reflects how much support the couple has from the community.

So the speed that the initial amount is raised really surprised me. Every dollar one person gives, spurs the next person to give his too. Every refresh of the browser gives us hope.

I think at this stage we can acknowledge that the results of the grassroot work done by so many individuals / groups over the past years are showing. Whether you are at a large scale gathering like PinkDot, a book reading session at Pelangi Pride Centre, old folks home project under TheBearProject or a discussion group in Oogachaga or writing a book about the community, you are going through changes. You are building the community.

A foreigner friend told me this last night: Singapore’s LGBT community now dares to dream, because we are seeing the light at the end of tunnel, however far it appears now. We just have to keep walking towards it. We are no longer walking alone, or in tens or hundreds, we are now walking in tens of thousands.